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CONOR McGregor has insisted he will appeal a civil court jury’s verdict that he did sexually assault a woman in a Dublin hotel room.

The Irish mixed martial arts fighter, 36, had faced an accusation that he “brutally raped and battered” Nikita Hand at a hotel in south Dublin in December 2018.

Reuters

Conor McGregor[/caption]

The Irish sports star – who arrived in court hand in hand with his partner Dee Devlin – previously told the court he had consensual sex with Ms Hand in a penthouse at the Beacon Hotel.

The jury in the civil case against Mr McGregor delivered its verdict on Friday afternoon.

The total amount of damages awarded to Ms Hand by the jury was 248,603.60 euro.

CONOR McGregor has broken his silence after a woman who accused him of rape won her claim for damages in the High Court.

Nikita Hand was awarded almost €250,000 in damages after winning her case.

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Conor McGregor leaving the High Court with partner Dee Devlin and father Tony[/caption]

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The UFC fighter said he will appeal the court’s decision[/caption]

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Nikita Hand sobbed after she won her case[/caption]

Ms Hand, who is also known as Nikita Ni Laimhin, lost her case against another man, James Lawrence, who she accused of assaulting her by allegedly having sex without her consent at the same hotel.

McGregor shook his head as the verdict was read out in court.

He was accompanied by his partner Dee Devlin, mother Margaret, father Tony, sister Aoife and brother-in-law Terry Kavanagh.

McGregor, 36, made no comment as he legged it from court with partner Dee following the jury’s ruling.

But tweeting afterwards, he said he would be appealing the decision.

McGregor said: “I will be appealing today’s decision. The judge’s instruction and the modest award given was for assault, not for aggravated or exemplary damages.

“I am disappointed that the jury did not hear all the evidence that the DPP reviewed. I am with my family now, focused on my future.”

McGregor had faced an accusation that he “brutally raped and battered” Ms Hand at a hotel in south Dublin in December 2018.

The Irish sports star previously told the court he had consensual sex with Ms Hand in a penthouse at the Beacon Hotel.

Ms Hand, who is also known as Nikita Ni Laimhin, lost her case against another man, James Lawrence, who she accused of assaulting her by allegedly having sex without her consent at the same hotel.

Following eight days of evidence and three days listening to closing speeches and the judge’s charge, the jury of eight women and four men spent six hours and 10 minutes deliberating before returning with its verdict.

McGregor shook his head after the jury read out that Ms Hand had won her case against him.

McGregor was accompanied by his family, including his partner Dee Devlin, parents, sister and brother-in-law.

He sat in the back row of the court, between his partner and mother, Margaret.

Ms Hand, 35, cried and was hugged by her partner and supporters.

A number of gardai were in the courtroom as the verdict was delivered.

The case, which opened on November 5, had previously heard that on the day of the attack, Ms Hand and her work colleague Danielle Kealy went to the penthouse suite with McGregor and Mr Lawrence after their work Christmas party.

They had given evidence of how they had been partying all night from December 8 and into the morning of December 9, and had been heavily drinking and taking cocaine.

Ms Hand, a mother-of-one, told the court how McGregor had pinned her to the bed in the hotel bedroom before assaulting her.

During her evidence to the court, Ms Hand said she thought she would never see her young daughter again when the MMA star was “choking” her.

The court heard that as she was being attacked, she “froze and couldn’t move or breathe”.

In an emotional statement outside the High Court in Dublin, mum-of-one Nikita paid tribute to her family and daughter Freya.

And the 35-year-old sex assault victim declared: “I want to show Freya and every other girl and boy that you can stand up for yourself. If something happens to you, no matter who the person is and justice will be served.”

Nikita said: “I would like to start off by saying I’m overwhelmed and touched by the support I have received from everybody.

“First, I want to thank the legal team and my three barristers, John Gordon, Ray Boland and Sean. They have been amazing from start to finish.

“I want to thank Mr Justice Alexander Owens, the jury, all the witnesses.

“I want to thank the doctors, nurses and everyone at the sexual assault treatment unit in the Rotunda Hospital for looking after me, especially my own doctor Frank Clarke.

“I want to thank the Rape Crisis Centre, especially Cliona, who has been by my side throughout this entire period.

“I want to thank all the guards and the ambulance crew.

“I want to thank all the women and men out there who have supported me throughout this trial.

“For every person who reached out to me – a card, a letter, e-mail, everything, it hasn’t gone unnoticed. Thank you. I really appreciate it so much.

“I want to thank my partner Gary, who has been so supportive for the last four years and has held my hand throughout his trial every day and every other day.

“I want to thank my mam and all my family and friends.

“Lastly, I want to thank my daughter Freya, who I’m most grateful for. She has given me so much strength and courage over the last six years throughout this nightmare to keep on pushing forward for justice.

“I want to show Freya and every other girl and boy that you can stand up for yourself. If something happens to you, no matter who the person is and justice will be served. To all the victims of sexual assault, I hope my story is a reminder that no matter how afraid you might be, speak up. You have a voice and keep on fighting for justice.

“I know this has impacted not only my life, my daughter’s, my family and friends tremendously, and it’s something that  I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.

“But now that justice has been served, I can now try and move on and look forward to the future with my family and friends and daughter.”

MAURA Higgins reckons she will become pals with Barry McGuigan on I’m A Celeb – despite having dated his son.

The show’s new arrival, 33, thinks they will click when she arrives in the main camp because they are both Irish and have a similar sense of humour.

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Maura Higgins is a breath of fresh air on the show[/caption]

Eroteme

Sportsfile

Rex

The Sun exclusively revealed that Maura briefly dated boxing legend Barry’s son Shane, 36, after meeting him while she was working as a ring girl for William Hill in 2018.

She was working on a fight between David Haye and Tony Bellew, which Shane was covering for a radio station.

Maura caught the eye of boxing coach Shane, who asked her out.

They dated for a short time before calling it quits and they remained friends.

Before heading into the Australian jungle, Maura told The Sun: “I already know Tulisa. So I’ll definitely get on with her. She’s amazing. I reckon I’d get on really well with Barry McGuigan.

“You know, Irish… I think he’s very humorous.

“I never met him (while dating Shane).

“But I reckon he’d be my cup of tea, with the humour and stuff.”

Maura also said she is looking forward to meeting Coleen Rooney – so she can chat to her about the Wagatha Christie saga.

She said: “I want to talk to her about it. I’m a bit nosey like that.

“I would do the exact same as what Coleen did.

Like, I’d probably put up something on my Story and just have certain people view it to catch that person out. That is the way my brain would work.

“It was crazy, wild. I definitely would have done the same thing.”

Maura appeared on last night’s I’m A Celeb – but she was sent into the Jungle Junkyard with fellow late arrival Rev Richard Coles, 62.

They are living in luxury for the first couple of days – but have to make the other celebs think they are slumming it before they head into the main site.

Maura arrived Down Under with a hangover from hell after 48 hours of boozing in Las Vegas.

She also insisted she is “very much single” – despite rumours of a romance with Strictly hunk Pete Wicks, 36.

Brian Roberts - Commissioned by The Sun

Maura landed in Australia on Tuesday[/caption]

LOTTO chiefs have confirmed a lucky €7million “life-changing” win ticket was bought in a Galway “cornerstone” shop.

The local Eurospar An Cheathrú Rua store celebrated Wednesday’s lotto winning today.

Handout

The golden ticket was sold in the An Cheathrú Rua shop at Gaeltacht village of Carraroe in Co Galway.

The winning ticket in Wednesday’s Lotto draw was worth an astounding €7,028,440.  

The Galway winner becomes the 10th Lotto Jackpot winner of 2024, and the county’s second biggest win so far this year after Monaghan’s filling station in Westside sold a winning EuroMillions ticket worth €1,005,000 back in September. 

Shop owner Aodán Breathneach said she was trilled to get the call from the National Lottery confirming the win.

Aodán added: “Our shop has been a cornerstone in An Cheathrú Rua for over 50 years, across three generations.

“We’ve had some Lotto and EuroMillions wins before, but never anything this big.

“We have many regular local customers, so it’s exciting to think that one of them might have had a life-changing win, although it could be anyone.”

‘AMAZING NEWS’

She continued: “We’re so happy for the winner and hope they’re already enjoying their amazing news.

“With a team of nearly 50 people, we’re all enjoying the buzz in the shop – wins like this are rare, so we’re making the most of the celebrations.”

The winning numbers in Wednesday, November 20, main Lotto draw were 7, 10, 12, 19, 21, 32 and the bonus was 9.

The National Lottery is urging all Lotto players from Galway who purchased tickets for Wednesday night’s Lotto draws in Eurospar in Carraroe, Co Galway to check their tickets very carefully as they now have a ticket worth €7,028,440.

The winner should sign the back of their tickets and keep it somewhere safe.

They should make contact with the National Lottery prize claims team on 1800 666 222 or email claims@lottery.ie and arrangements will be made for them to collect their prize from Lotto HQ. 

‘EXCITING EVENT’

The announcement comes as excitement builds for a special EuroMillions draw set to take place on Friday.

In a thrilling twist, 100 new millionaires are guaranteed across nine participating countries in a unique EuroMillions raffle event.

Each winner will walk away with an incredible €1 million, and Ireland is in the running to take a slice of the fortune.

Sarah Ruane, spokesperson for the National Lottery, said: “Friday’s EuroMillions draw is going to be an incredibly exciting event.

“On top of the estimated €190 million jackpot on offer, the draw will guarantee 100 brand new millionaires in the draw across the participating EuroMillions game member.

‘HUGE EXCITEMENT’

“It’s been an incredible year for players with thirty National Lottery millionaires being made in 2024 so far.

“There will be huge excitement in the build-up to Friday’s draw which could be life-changing for one or more EuroMillions players in Ireland.”

The special raffle includes players from Ireland, Austria, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK.

Every EuroMillions ticket bought for Friday’s draw will come with a unique raffle code, automatically entering players into the millionaire-making event.

Irish players also stand a chance to win in the Ireland Only Raffle, which will see 10 players scoop €5,000 each.

National Lottery players are urged to buy their tickets early to avoid missing out on the historic draw.

Tickets can be purchased in-store, online, or via the National Lottery app.

Alamy

IRELAND AM star Siomha Ni Ruairc was left screaming in fear on live TV as she attempted a bushtucker trial.

The Virgin Media star was back on air last Sunday for some TV laughs with Elaine Crowley and Sean Defoe.

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Siomha had to take part in a bushtucker trial[/caption]

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Siomha was left in a panic as she attempted the game[/caption]

Ahead of I’m A Celebrity’s first episode of this season, Jungle Dave brought some special critters on set in the Virgin Media studio.

Actor Killian O’Sullivan, who was a guest on the show, went head-to-head with Siomha for their own bushtucker trial on air.

For the first challenge, the pair were blinded folded and had to guess the creature.

Killian was first up and held the orange chameleon in his hands with ease.

However, Siomha was a little more apprehensive about the whole situation.

The Dublin native backed away from Dave and said: “My heart can’t take this. I’m afraid!”

Elaine tried to encourage her saying: “You’re like Paul Mescal and you’re a big, big brave strong boy!”

Siomha hadn’t even got the animal in her hands before she shouted: “Oh my god did something touched me? What touched me? No I can’t, I actually can’t!”

Elaine prompted her to take part saying: “Just put your hand out, come on, suck it up!”

Siomha admitted: “No I don’t think I can! I’m so afraid. Hold on.”

The podcaster finally gave in to defeat and said: “Oh my god, I can’t do it. I’m sorry! I told you, I cannot do this.”

Elaine shouted out: “Oh, you big loser!”

Siomha apologised saying: “Sorry, I told you, it’s the blindfold, it’s the unknown, guys.”

Elaine warned her saying: “Well, you better hold out the next one or you will never live it down.”

SPIDEY SENSES

The next creature they had to guess was a tarantula.

Siomha decided to go first this time but was still “shaking” and shouting out.

Elaine told her: “Just shh, don’t roar.”

The popular presenter gave up after she briefly touched the spider’s leg and said: “That’s enough for me, sorry.”

For the next game, they had put their hands in containers full of creepy crawlies to find a gold star.

SCARED SIOMHA

And although Siomha was still screaming out – she managed to ace the game.

After the fiasco, Elaine sympathised with her co-host saying: “Poor Siomha is traumatised.”

Siomha added: “I can never show my face on TV again, I actually can’t believe that.”

The 31-year-old shared the hilarious segment on Instagram today and explained how she now relates to Dean McCullough, who is currently in the jungle and not so fond of the tasks.

‘DYING’

She wrote: “Good thing I like rice and beans. The lovely team decided to put myself and Killian through our very own bushtucker trial and I can confidently say that I’m a massive Dean sympathiser after it.

“Huge thanks to my super supportive colleague Elaine who hasn’t let me live this down and also bless Jungle Dave’s saintly patience.

“ITV, I’ll be waiting by the phone.”

Siomha’s friends and fans were left in stitches at the hilarious video.

Louise wrote: “I am DYING. The sternness of Elaine she was having none of you lol.”

Emma said: “This has brought me so much joy.”

Trisha commented: “This is hilarious.” 

Darren added: “Brilliant.”

A FAN favourite I’m A Celeb star sparked concern after sharing a snap from a hospital bed.

The celebrity revealed he was having his second surgery in six months.

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I’m A Celeb alum Jordan Banjo shared a snap from a hospital bed[/caption]

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Jordan is best known as a member of dance troupe Diversity[/caption]

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Jordan with his big brother (and Diversity leader) Ashley Banjo[/caption]

Best known as a member of Diversity, Jordan Banjo has taken part in I’m A Celeb on two occasions.

Taking to Instagram, he captioned the hospital snap: “Second surgery in 6 months, boxing ain’t a joke.

“Bicep reattached, now the road to recovery.”

Followers soon flooded Jordan’s comments section to share their support and well-wishes.

His former jungle campmate Lisa Snowdon wrote: “Get well soon Jordan.”

Someone else penned: “Hope you are back firing on all cylinders soon Jord.”

A third chimed in: “Hope you have a speedy recovery Jord!”

While a fourth remarked: “Get yourself better dude!!! Miss my big pal.

“Best wishes for a speedy recovery.”

Jordan first starred on I’m A Celebrity back in 2016 – seven years after Diversity triumphed on Britain’s Got Talent.

He joined Carol Vorderman, Joel Dommett, Wayne Bridge, Larry Lamb and Sam Quek, among others.

While Jordan was fourth to leave, then-Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt went on to win.

Last year, he returned to take part in ITV all-star series I’m A Celebrity: South Africa.

That time around, the dancer was the runner-up, behind Myleene Klass.

In 2021, Jordan and former I’m A Celeb co-star Joel had a surprise reunion.

He appeared as “Viper” in The Masked Singer spin-off, The Masked Dancer – which Joel hosted.

Jordan had a short-lived time in that competition, being the first person unmasked.

I’m A Celebrity continues on ITV1 and ITVX.

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Jordan first starred on I’m A Celebrity back in 2016[/caption]

Rex

"she didn’t deserve to be burned."

"Yellowstone" star Kelly Reilly blocks out the noise surrounding the strong fan base the hit Western attracts, and the chaos in Hollywood.

The actor shares daughter Simone, 23, with ex-wife Dany Garcia, as well as daughters Jasmine, 8, and Tiana, 6, with wife Lauren Hashian.

Напої можуть призвести до знебарвлення емалі, карієсу та навіть захворювань. Загальновідомо, що вживання дуже великої кількості солодких напоїв може вплинути на наші зуби. Цукор збільшує зростання бактерій у зубах, які потім стирають захисну емаль, що призводить до карієсу. Однак це не єдиний інгредієнт, якого слід побоюватися, коли йдеться про наші зуби. Люди зазвичай мало думають […]